


Shadow Broker Dossier — Phil Shepard

by AManAdrift



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 05:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11753124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AManAdrift/pseuds/AManAdrift





	Shadow Broker Dossier — Phil Shepard

The first human Spectre. Adept with small arms and combat omni-tool programs. Shows a surprising awareness of the diplomatic and political realities. Vulnerable to manipulation through threats to current and former crew, in particular the asari Liara T’Soni.

## Abridged Service Record, Systems Alliance Armed Forces

Date: | Rating: | Remarks:  
---|---|---  
March 2171: | R1 | Shepard (aged 16) enrols in Alliance Foundation College, Harrogate, England.  
May 2172: | R1 | S. attends School of Infantry, Camp Geiger, North Carolina, UNAS.  
August 2172: | I1 | S. volunteers for Pegasus Brigade, transferred to Aldershot, England for Orbital Insertion/Light Infantry training.  
June 2173: | I3 | S. graduates OI/LI, promoted PFC, assigned to Fleet Marine Force.  
September 2174: | I4 | S. promoted CPL after two anti-piracy deployments aboard SSV _St. Petersburg_.  
April 2175: | I4 | S. volunteers for the Akuze mission.  
June 2175: | (I4) | S. placed on Temporary Disability Retirement List pending evaluation.  
September 2175: | R4 | S. enrols in ROTC at Embry-Riddle Engineering University, Florida, UNAS. Adjudged medically fit for duty in that capacity.  
July 2179: | L4 | S. graduates _summa cum laude_ from Embry-Riddle. Highly commended by ROTC commandant. Commissioned with the rank of 1LT. Assigned Asst. Navigation Officer, SSV _Aconcagua_.  
October 2180: | L5 | Performance of S. rated exemplary by CO SSV _Aconcagua_. Receives accelerated promotion to SLT, assigned Navigator, SSV _Berlin_.  
February 2183: | L7 | S. continues to receive outstanding FITREPs. Promoted LCDR, assigned Executive Officer, SSV _Normandy_.  
June 2183: | N7 | S. is assigned Commanding Officer, SSV _Normandy_. _Normandy_ reassigned from 63rd Scout Flotilla to detached duty, Citadel Council Office of Special Tactics and Reconaissance.  
  
## Medical Evaluation Report, Systems Alliance Dept. of the Navy (classified)

CPL Shepard’s case should be used as an example of how severe mental illnesses in front-line soldiers can go unnoticed by the military hierarchy, both on recruitment and during their term of service. The corporal is exceptionally driven to continue to serve, and as such wary to the point of paranoia of making the difficulties he faces on a daily basis visible to analysis, however it became clear during our sessions that he suffers from severe post-traumatic stress, stemming not only from his ordeal on Akuze, but from the events on Mindoir prior to his enlistment.

CPL Shepard is a man of high intelligence and great strength of will, which, in conjunction with a keen sense of what is expected of him, he uses to dissemble the extent of his condition: in simple terms, whenever he thinks anyone suspects he is suffering, he volunteers for another, harder assignment, and pushes himself to succeed at it at any cost to his mental well-being. It has also become clear during our sessions that he lacks an informal support structure; he has isolated himself from his surviving family, has no close friends, and has not developed the usual rapport with his fellow Marines. Partly this will be due to his PTSD, but it is also due to more general conflicts of personality and background.

If CPL Shepard is returned to the kind of duty that is normal for a Marine of his training, he _will_ eventually reach a breaking point and become a danger to himself or potentially (through inaction at a crucial moment) to others. I recommend in the strongest possible terms that he be medically separated from the service.

(Signed) LCDR Kieron R. Harding, M.D., Medical Corps, Alliance Naval Reserve  
05JUN2175

## Correspondence

From: OpsChf Walter Mickiewicz, Sergeant-Major, 18 Light Infantry Battalion, Pegasus Brigade  
To: MAJ Carolyn Stennis, Commanding Officer, 18 L.I. Bn., Pegasus Bde.  
Date: 18JUN2175

> I’ve signed off on all the Pro-Con reports except for CPL Shepard. I’m happy to be his reference for college, but I’ve got ROTC paperwork on my desk as well? I thought we were recommending disability retirement? Did you see the medical report? The docs were pretty firm on the point.
> 
> P.S. Shepard doesn’t seem to have signed his college application?

Doc Harding is probably a great shrink, ma’am, but he doesn’t know shit about the Corps, if you’ll pardon my Russian. Shepard has less than 8 years in, and the doc went and mentioned that his PTSD dates from what happened on Mindoir. Akuze exaggerated it, no question, so he _ought_ to get disability retirement, but you know how the bean-counters second-guess medical evaluations: if we recommend medical separation now, they’ll probably fob him off with some bullshit severance package, or maybe even separation without benefits.

Shepard’s signature isn’t on the college application ’cause he doesn’t know I filled it out for him yet. The doc was right about him not having a rapport with his squad: I’ve counseled him over and over but he still has a stick up his ass. His problem is he talks like an officer, and the reason is that he bloody well ought to be one. I figure the best solution is for him to take a break, get his degree, and go through ROTC so he stays in. If he comes back as an officer he could be a real credit to the service.

* * *

From: CAPT Ryan Hillis, Commandant, Reserve Officer Training Corps, Embry-Riddle University  
To: 1LT Philip Shepard, Asst. Navigation Officer (designate), SSV Aconcagua  
Re: Assignment  
Date: 30JUL2179

> Sir,
> 
> I’ve just received my assignment: assistant nav. aboard the _Aconcagua_. Getting to serve on a dreadnought my first cruise as an officer is a real feather in my cap, but I was really hoping for an engineering billet, and you said I’d be a shoo-in. I probably shouldn’t ask this, but is there any way to get this assignment changed, or at least query it?

I’m as surprised as you are, son. I have some contacts in the Engineering section at BUPERS. I’ll pull some wires and try and at least find out what’s going on.

* * *

From: RADM Vicente Mendez Llorca, Systems Alliance Chief of Naval Personnel  
To: CAPT Li Cong, Bureau of Personnel, Systems Alliance Dept. of the Navy  
Re: “Poaching”  
Date: 19SEP2179  
(Message sent encrypted, between personal accts. of the officers listed, not official)

Cong,

How many times have I told you not to show your ass when you’re dealing with the other department heads in BUPERS? I’ve had Fox in my office all afternoon, been trying to soothe him down over your complaints that Line has been “poaching” new officers from Engineering.

I’ve looked into the cases you brought up: most are borderline, with mediocre technical skills; I say let Fox have them. 1LT Shepard’s case did jump out at me. He graduated with flying colors, and listed engineering on his dream sheet, but I looked into it and it turns out there are other things going on. The actual signature on his assignment to Line is above my pay grade, let alone yours, but it turns out the man behind the curtain is David Anderson: I wouldn’t be surprised if young Mister Shepard gets tapped for N-school, or else “quits” and ends up pulling deniable ops.

Do I need to tell you not to spread this around?

Vic.

* * *

From: CAPT Li Cong  
To: 1LT Philip Shepard  
Re: Assignment  
Date: 01OCT2179

Lieutenant,

CAPT Hillis has passed me the case of your assignment to the _Aconcagua_ for informal review. I realize that you were hoping for an engineering assignment, but I’m afraid that the Navy needs line officers more than it needs engineers at this time. You may be able to request a transfer later on.

* * *

From: RADM Vicente Mendez  
To: LCDR Philip Shepard  
Re: Personnel Issues  
Date: 18JUL2183

Commander,

Congratulations on your appointment: I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that the Alliance is proud to have a human serving in the Spectres. For your information, I write to apprise you of certain determinations that have been made here in BUPERS concerning you and the _Normandy_ :

  * Per your request, as endorsed by CAPT Anderson, GyChf Williams has been permanently reassigned to the _Normandy_ ’s Marine detachment. Given the disarray of the 212 after Eden Prime, as well as the GyChf’s less than stellar service history, this was relatively easy to arrange.

  * SecDef and SecNav have both confirmed to this office that the proper rating for an officer serving on detached duty to the Council as a Spectre must be ‘N’. Accordingly, and as proficiency ratings can only be reduced for cause, I am pleased to inform you that you are now rated N7.

  * The application of the ‘N’ rating to Alliance personnel under your command is at your discretion. BUPERS will review such ratings when the personnel in question cease to report to you.




Regards,

Vicente Mendez Llorca

* * *

From: CAPT David Anderson  
To: LCDR Philip Shepard  
Re: Fwd: Personnel Issues  
Date: 30SEP2183

Phil,

I’ve looked into the decision to rate you N7, and I can promise you it wasn’t just the pencil-pushers at BUPERS who made it. I know you’re worried about wearing the stripe when you didn’t go to the Villa, but you know I did, and I can promise you you’ve nothing to fear. You passed OI/LI, you went through hell on Akuze, and the things you’ve pulled off since have not gone unnoticed; wear the rating with your head held high, and if anyone gives you static they’ll have to answer to me!

Keep making us proud, son.

David.

* * *

From: RADM Sunil Kapoor, Judge Advocate General, Systems Alliance Navy  
To: LCDR Philip Shepard  
Re: Spectre Legal Status  
Date: 11OCT2183

> > Commander,
>> 
>> Many congratulations on your appointment as the first human Spectre! As you may imagine, the precise legal status of this appointment is still very nebulous: we will be waiting for Parliament to negotiate with the Citadel Council and pass new laws for months if not years, however the exigencies of your mission to bring Saren Arterius to justice will of course not wait. Accordingly, I write to apprise you of the following determinations made by my office in consultation with the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretaries of Defense and of the Navy:
>> 
>>   * Regarding a Spectre’s immunity from prosecution under the laws of the Council races: this has been implemented by executive order, using the same _pro forma_ as for diplomats and for your fellow Spectres. You are now effectively extraterritorial even within Alliance space. However, you remain an officer in the Alliance Navy, subject to court-martial. Your immunity will protect you from the imposition of confinement as a penalty, but any sentence of loss of pay or benefits, or ultimately of dishonorable or other-than-honorable discharge will remain an option to be exercised by the court at its discretion.
>> 
>>   * The above notwithstanding, given that Parliament has yet to even debate an appropriations bill allowing Spectre operations to be funded from the public purse, for the time being you are authorized and encouraged to consider your personal and operational funds to be equivalent. Accordingly, this office undertakes not to bring court-martial proceedings against you for peculation should you use the resources of the _Normandy_ to survey uncharted planets for minerals and collect bounties from the Alliance Geological Service, for example.
>> 
>>   * Further regarding bounties: in addition to the bounty for thresher maws, the Council has decrees of some centuries’ standing providing for bounties for killing geth and rachni (though it is unlikely in the extreme that you will encounter any of those last!). I have advised the Secretary that these bounties are included in the scope of our treaties with the Council: I believe payment for the geth you engaged on Eden Prime has already been or will shortly be included in your pay.
>> 
>>   * Given that your operations will be essentially self-funded, the requisitions officer assigned to the _Normandy_ has been given latitude to trade on his own account, and accredited to the various manufacturers of arms and other military equipment as a possible licensee for sales. We are essentially returning to the old days of wet-navy pursers.
>> 
>>   * Finally, I must inform you that your decision to appoint foreign (indeed, in some cases non-Council) citizens as _de facto_ members of the _Normandy_ ’s crew has been discussed at the highest levels: the decision was ultimately reached that, in the interests of smooth diplomatic relations with the Citadel, no prosecution for breach of standing orders w/r/t security of classified technology will be entered into.
>> 
>> Yours faithfully,
>> 
>> Sunil Kapoor
>> 
>> 

> 
> Admiral,
> 
> Thank you very much for this prompt clarification of my legal position: you have addressed a number of the questions that were starting to spring to my mind as I settled into my new assignment.
> 
> I must confess, however, that I am rather uncomfortable with some of the provisions you have outlined: please correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t it the case that the immunity from court-martial you’ve outlined is revocable at any time? That, in fact, I will be forced to violate several provisions of the Military Code just to fund my mission, with the effect that the Navy can decide to cashier me as soon as I become a political embarrassment?
> 
> Perhaps I should take independent legal advice on this point, but if you can set my fears to rest quickly I would very much appreciate it.
> 
> Respectfully,
> 
> Philip Shepard

Commander,

You are, perhaps, correct that political considerations might leave you vulnerable as things stand. However, I have hopes that Parliament will pass a law confirming your immunity from all forms of prosecution, including courts-martial, for as long as your Spectre status lasts. Your actions since we last corresponded—the rescue of Chairman Burns and your efforts to save the Feros colony—have proven to my satisfaction that you amply deserve the trust of the Alliance: for as long as I am JAG, you need not fear prosecution if you continue to conduct yourself as you have so far.

I hope this has calmed your fears in some measure; as a good lawyer I would never advise anyone against seeking an independent opinion if they feel the need!

Warm regards,

Sunil

* * *

From: Phil Shepard  
To: Jack Rossi  
Re: You’re Alive?!?  
Date: 03MAY2185

> Yo, jarhead!
> 
> Remember when we graduated, and we both said “Keep in touch”? Yeah, I guess we both kind of screwed that up, huh? Your funeral was a blast, though: you’ve got so few friends that I was practically in the front row, in amongst a bunch of admirals and shit in those goofy-lookin’ blues all y’all wear.
> 
> You know who else was there? Mindy. She was the one who passed me the rumor that you might actually be alive. Just sayin’.
> 
> Maybe stay in fucking touch this time, you fucking fucker!
> 
> Jack

I’ve missed your ability to turn a phrase, you fucker. It’s almost… poetic. Now that I think about it there’s someone I’ve been working with lately that you’d be perfect for.

I hope Mindy’s doing OK: I’ve actually met someone. We got together on the old Normandy before I, uh, died. She’s an asari: name of Liara. Liara T’Soni. I didn’t keep up with the news, maybe there were rumours about us? For her there’s been two years of water under the bridge, but for me it’s like yesterday we… Shit, I’ve just realised I don’t really know what’s going on there, but whatever it is, I’m not over it.

There, that ought to be enough sharing for another five years.

Phil

* * *

From: Philip Shepard, Commander, Normandy SR2  
To: Adm. Rael’Zorah vas Rayya, Quarian Migrant Fleet  
Re: Transfer Request Approved  
Date: 03MAY2185

Admiral Zorah,

Please accept my profound thanks, both to you and to the Admiralty Board at large, for approving Tali’Zorah’s request to be assigned to the crew of the _Normandy._ I place great value on Tali’Zorah’s services as a highly capable engineer, an advisor I trust without reservation, and I consider her a close personal friend, besides.

Tali’Zorah played a pivotal role in repelling the geth invasion of the Armstrong Nebula, and she was at my side during the confrontation with Saren Arterius and Sovereign during the Battle of the Citadel. It is no exaggeration to say that potentially every sapient life-form in the galaxy owes its life to Tali’Zorah’s efforts that day: I consider her a true heroine and a shining example of everything the quarian people still have to offer as members of the greater galactic community. These facts may have been downplayed and gone unacknowledged by the Citadel Council, but everyone aboard the _Normandy_ knows the truth, and as long as I am its captain, they will remember them in all their dealings with Tali’Zorah.

My thanks once again,

Philip Shepard


End file.
